Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désavouer

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The English translation of the French verb désavouer is “to disavow” or “to deny”. It is pronounced “day-zah-voo-ay” in its infinitive form.

Désavouer comes from the Old French word “desavouer” which is derived from the Latin word “dis-” meaning “away” and “avouer” meaning “to acknowledge” or “to admit”. In everyday French, désavouer is used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express an action that is uncertain or doubtful in the past.

Example 1: J’ai peur qu’il ait désavoué sa promesse. (I am afraid that he may have disavowed his promise.)

Example 2: Il était possible qu’elle eût désavoué ses paroles. (It was possible that she had denied her words.)

Example 3: Je doute qu’ils aient désavoué leur implication dans cette affaire. (I doubt that they have denied their involvement in this matter.)

Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of désavouer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie désavoué Je suis contente qu’on aie désavoué ça. I’m glad we disavowed it.
tu aies désavoué Tu as peur que tu aies désavoué trop vite. You’re afraid you disavowed too quickly.
il ait désavoué Il est possible qu’il ait désavoué la vérité. It’s possible he disavowed the truth.
elle ait désavoué Elle regrette qu’elle ait désavoué son ami. She regrets disavowing her friend.
on ait désavoué On veut qu’on ait désavoué cette décision. We want this decision to have been disavowed.
nous ayons désavoué Nous doutons qu’on ait désavoué cette action. We doubt we disavowed this action.
vous ayez désavoué Il est préférable que vous ayez désavoué le projet. It’s preferable that you disavow the project.
ils aient désavoué Ils espèrent qu’ils aient désavoué les rumeurs. They hope they disavowed the rumors.
elles aient désavoué Elles sont soulagées qu’elles aient désavoué leur erreur. They are relieved they disavowed their mistake.

Other Conjugations for Désavouer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer     (this article)

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Désavouer – About the French Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense

The French Subjonctif Passé is a verb tense used to express actions or states that are uncertain, hypothetical, or dependent on some condition in the past. It’s often used in conjunction with the main verb in the present or future tense to convey various nuances of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Subjonctif Passé

To form the Subjonctif Passé, you generally need to start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the passé composé (a compound past tense). Then, drop the subject and replace it with the appropriate Subjonctif endings. The endings are the same for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs:

   – For -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
   – For -ir verbs: -isse, -isses, -ît, -issions, -issiez, -issent
   – For -re verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent

For example, if you have the verb “parler” (to speak) in the third person plural passé composé, which is “ils ont parlé” (they spoke), the Subjonctif Passé form would be “qu’ils aient parlé” (that they spoke).

Everyday Usage Patterns

The Subjonctif Passé is commonly used in various situations:

– Expressing doubt or uncertainty: It’s used when you’re not certain about the completion of an action in the past. For example, “Je doute qu’il ait mangé” (I doubt that he ate).

– Desires and preferences: When you want or wish for something to have happened in the past. For instance, “Je préfère que tu aies réussi” (I prefer that you have succeeded).

– Expressing emotions: To convey emotions or feelings related to past actions or events. For example, “Il est content que nous ayons gagné” (He is happy that we won).

– Hypothetical situations: When discussing hypothetical or unreal past situations. For example, “Si j’avais su, j’aurais souhaité qu’ils aient été là” (If I had known, I would have wished they had been there).

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Subjonctif Passé often interacts with other tenses to convey specific meanings:

Present tense

It’s commonly used after expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion in the present. For example, “Il faut que tu aies fini” (You must have finished).

Future tense

It’s used in the future for hypothetical or unreal actions in the past when the main clause is in the future. For example, “Je douterai qu’ils aient terminé demain” (I will doubt that they have finished tomorrow).

Conditional

When the main clause is in the conditional, the Subjonctif Passé can be used to express unreal or hypothetical actions in the past. For instance, “Il voudrait que nous ayons réussi” (He would like us to have succeeded).

Summary

The Subjonctif Passé is a versatile tense used in French to convey uncertainty, doubt, desire, or hypothetical situations related to past actions. It is used in various everyday contexts and interacts with other tenses to express specific nuances in the language.

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